Every Day is Sunday

Known for its beautiful scenery, colorful local villages, and amazing trekking, Northern Laos has become one of the foremost eco-tourism destinations in Southeast Asia.   We left our little piece of paradise in Luang Prabang to make the brutal (and we mean BRUTAL) 10 hour bus ride to the edges of the beautiful Nam Tha National Park. 

In Vieng Pukah we organized a three-day trek along the “Ahka Trail,” named after the indigenous tribe that lives in the area.  With our guide Mr. Boon Yee, and our cook Noy, the four of us loaded our packs with food and water and made our way into the jungle.

The trek was everything the guidebook said it would be.  It was beautiful, authentic and really hard on our bodies.

EE: The journey took us through several river crossings (the first was novel but after 7, I was ready for a bridge) and loads of mud.  There wasn’t a trail (unless you count the path the buffalo used) and our guide often had to use a machete to create a path for us.  The rain made the ground slippery and Jeff and I bit it half a dozen times – which was both funny and painful.

JW: The trek was definitely a challenge. At first I was excited about crossing the river by foot. But that quickly lost its thrill when I reached the other side and discovered several swollen leaches attached to my feet. Luckily our guide Mr. Boon Yee did a great job of keeping our spirits up. He taught us the phrase “Pa tit yow nom lye” (Your country is very beautiful) and the phrase “Pa tit yow bun lye” (Your country has many leeches.)

Bruised and covered in mud, we arrived for our first night in a Akha village high up in the hills.

We were greeted by a pack of exuberant boys who loved to scream. We would have guessed they were over-caffeinated or over-sugared except the village had neither soda nor candy. They gave us a warm albeit spastic welcome and took us to their playground for some fun before the sun went down. 

Exhausted from a long day we nearly collapsed into our bamboo thatched “house” only to find it was also home to packs of roosters, cows and pigs. Sleep was out of the question.  

EE: The animal house and straw mats we slept on became slightly tolerable when Mr. Boon told us we were getting massages after dinner. Yes! The silver-lining I’d been waiting for!  I might actually get through this trek. Eager to practice my new Laos language skills, when our massage ladies walked in I told them that their country was slippery and full of leeches instead of complimenting them on the beauty of their land…whoops. The Ahka girls spoke zero English and Mr Boon thought my comment was so funny he wouldn’t help me fix it - which might explain the almost unbearable pressure she applied to my very sore body.

We’ve done some pretty hard treks on this trip, but this was the first time we weren’t following a trail.  Without any huts or stations along the way, we had to carry all of our food and water on our backs.  Several times Noy our cook stopped along the trail to gather ferns, banana leaves, and other greens that she’d use in our next meal.

The Ahka villages were very basic and lacked electricity and running water.  When we started the hike we saw locals bathing in the river and thought it was quaint.  By the second day we were joining right in with the locals…and the water buffalo. 

The last day of our hike was the most treacherous of them all.  We cleared felled trees from our path, cleared leeches off our feet (Jeff removed 31 – a new Lao record), used vines to navigate steep drops, and held our breath as we walked over dodgy wooden bridges.

Even though our feet were sore and our bodies ached, we finished the trek feeling exhilarated having shed the trappings of modern life and spent three days walking the countryside and living close to the land.  But, then again, a proper shower and bed felt really really good.

Luang Prabang is an adorable little town on the banks of Mekong river.  “This place just oozes charm,” Erin liked to say every time we turned a corner.   

Long before it was a tourist destination, and even before it was a hub for the French colonists, Luang Prabang was a holy city and pilgrimage site for Buddist monks.  Dozens of monasteries and wats (Buddhist temples) line the streets of this peaceful town. 

Each morning at sunrise the monks walk around the city collecting alms from the locals.  It is a beautiful sight to see so many citizens honoring and providing for their holy men.

Once we got the hang of it we led our elephants to the river for a bath.  They waded deep into the Mekong until they were almost completely submerged and we began to scrub.  Erin’s elephant decided to have a little fun by taking her for a swim. 

It seemed weird to treat these massive two-ton animals like pets.  But then again the Lao think it’s weird that we treat our dogs like children.

One afternoon we rented a motorbike and drove out to see Kuang Si Falls.  At the base of this dazzling waterfall was a canyon-swing which Jeff very inartfully used to belly-flop into the icy water.

Glamour Shot

Near the waterfall was a playground complete with tire swing, hammock, and electric fence.  The electric fence was necessary because this was no ordinary playground: it was full of Asiatic black bears.  Unlike the black bears we saw from the bus in China, these lucky bears are part of a conservation effort.  They looked pretty comfortable lounging in those hammocks enjoying the natural air conditioning of the nearby waterfall. 

We’ve taken cooking classes in kitchens throughout southeast Asia.  What our made our cooking class in Luang Prabang unique was the absence of a kitchen.  Working on benches overlooking a stream, the only conventional kitchen items we used was a sharp knife and a mortar and pestle. 

We used fresh ingredients and freshly-caught fish so we didn’t need a fridge; we steamed the fish in banana leaves and deep-fried the veggies in lemongrass stalks so we didn’t need pots or pans; we cooked our food over wood coals so we didn’t need a gas or electric range.  It wasn’t the tastiest food we’ve made on this trip, but it was the most authentic experience we’ve had preparing local food.